Fisher House Foundation Honored at Mission: Gratitude

On any given night, more than 1,000 military and Veterans’ families can call Fisher House their “home away from home” thanks to Fisher House Foundation and its unwavering dedication to those who have served – and their families. This “peace of mind” has been extended to Veterans and family members enrolled in Home Base’s two-week Intensive Clinical Program (ICP) in Charlestown, MA.

Since 2016, Fisher House Foundation has partnered with Home Base to provide lodging to hundreds of Veterans who seek care at Home Base for the invisible wounds every year. On Sept. 27, 2018, Home Base presented Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation, with the annual Major General Joseph Warren, MD Award in recognition of the Foundation’s commitment to Veterans, Service Members, and their Families.

“General Warren was a Patriot, a leader, and a healer. He possessed the Warrior Ethos, putting others before himself in service to our country,” said Home Base’s Executive Director, retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond. “Warren’s legacy embodies the principles that Home Base carries forward today in providing world-class medicine to our Veterans and Families. When deciding upon this year’s recipient, we looked at those principles and immediately thought of Ken Fisher and the Team at the Fisher House Foundation.”

Home Base’s partnership with Fisher House Foundation began back in 2016, when Home Base leadership approached the Ken Fisher and the organization with a complex challenge: the first and largest private sector clinic in America would launch a new two-week program for Veterans and Families across the country, but there was no place for them to stay. One of the goals of the ICP is to remove all barriers to care for those seeking treatment, so it was imperative that Home Base find a way to provide lodging at NO COST to the participants.

“Although we have one of the best Fisher Houses in the country – right here in Boston led by Fisher House manager Elizabeth St. Pierre – the location at the West Roxbury, MA VA was too far to make care feasible for our patients,” explained Michael Allard, Home Base’s Chief Operating Officer. “Although the ask fell outside of the organization’s normal scope of giving, Ken Fisher and his team at Fisher House were determined to find a solution and did not hesitate to support Home Base’s mission.”

Delivering on their promise and mission, Fisher House Foundation now provides lodging for Home Base’s Veterans and their Families at a location convenient for them: at the Marriott Residence Inn at Tudor Wharf, just steps from Home Base’s National Center of Excellence in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

To date, more than 700 Veterans and Family Members have benefited from the partnership between Home Base and Fisher House Foundation. When it came time for Home Base to announce the recipient of the 2018 Major General Joseph Warren, MD Award, Ken Fisher was the obvious choice.

Fisher is a tireless advocate for those who have made tremendous sacrifices to the nation, steadfastly carrying on the legacy of his Great Uncle, Zachary Fisher. Fisher oversees a network of 78 Fisher Houses throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany that provide a ‘home away from home’ for the families of Service Members and Veterans who are being treated for an illness or injury far from home. Beyond his work at Fisher House Foundation – and close to Home Base’s own work – Fisher also served as the Chairman of the Invictus Games’ organizing committee for the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida working alongside Prince Harry, to leverage the power of adaptive sports to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, injured and sick Service Members.

In 2007, he served on the President’s Commission on Care of America’s Returning Wounded Warriors and has twice been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest civilian honor.

“I never wore our nation’s uniform, but, over the last 20 years I have come to learn about the depth of strength and character of the men and women who have,” said Fisher. I’ve also witnessed firsthand the service and sacrifices of their families. They deserve our gratitude, too. More importantly, they need our support. We must support them by using our strengths – whether we work in the business world, the nonprofit sector or government – we must use our strengths to help lift up the voices of those who may not be able to speak as loudly as us.”

Since its inception, Fisher House Foundation has helped more than 335,000 families, saving them an estimated $407 million in out-of-pocket travel and lodging costs. Over the years, the Foundation has provided more than 8 million nights of lodging for military and veterans’ families.

“He is a true American,” said Hammond, who had the privilege of serving on a Presidential Commission with Ken Fisher. “He has put his own strengths and experience to work making a difference in the lives of our military and veterans. His recognition is well-deserved, and we are proud to call him a partner and friend of Home Base.”

Through the generosity of Ken Fisher, Home Base can make good on a promise to remove all barriers to world-class care, giving hope to those who deserve it most.